Heartbroken and Helpless
by Jaudreylover24
Summary: Jack and Audrey post season 6
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: It may not seem much like a happy Jack and Audrey story right now. But it will be. i promise. Review please and thanks._

Chapter 1

Jack walked slowly out of Audrey's room, feeling as if his heart had been ripped out. He hated this. He didn't want to leave her. But, it was the only way to protect her. He wasn't sure what he was going to do now. If anything. Without Audrey, he had nothing to live for.

Audrey tried to wake up. She tried to respond. She couldn't. She listened to Jack's goodbye and couldn't convince him not to leave. Now he was gone and she was alone.

Jack was now standing outside the house and looked out at the ocean. It would be too easy to jump. He didn't deserve a quick death. He believed his death should be long and painful for all the pain he had put Audrey through. Jack walked towards the street not knowing where he was going to go. He had nowhere to go. He had nobody to go to. His phone rang as he walked aimlessly around the streets being sure not to stray too far from Audrey just yet.

"Bauer," he said answering his cell phone normally.

"Jack, it's Chloe." The voice on the other line said. Jack didn't respond. He didn't know what to say. Chloe took advantage of the silence to speak. "Jack, where are you?"

"It doesn't matter, Chloe." Jack said.

"Yeah it does. Morris and I are worried about you. Where are you?" Chloe said. She had always considered Jack a good friend and knew that he probably wasn't in the best condition. She knew that he had no place to go. Jack didn't respond. "Jack, I can track your phone or you can tell me where you are."

"I'm on the streets near Heller's beach house." Jack said, giving up.

"Stay there. Morris and I are going to pick you up." Chloe said. They hung up and Jack did as he was told. At CTU, Chloe got directions to Heller's beach house, and left with Morris.

"Where are we going?" Morris asked when Chloe turned in the opposite direction of their homes.

"We're going to get Jack." Chloe said. "He's going to stay at my apartment and I'm going to stay with you. At least until he can find somewhere to stay."

"Chloe, you realize that you do way too much for him, right?" Morris said.

"Look, Morris, Jack is my friend. He's been through a hell of a lot these past couple years and I'm not going to let him live on the streets. He's done so much for this country and deserves better than what he's got."

They arrived outside Heller's beach house and drove around looking for Jack. They finally found him sitting a little way down the road. They could tell he was upset and Chloe warned Morris not to ask about or even mention Audrey. Chloe pulled over next to where Jack was sitting. She got out and sat next to him while Morris waited in the car.

"Hey, Jack." Chloe said.

"Hi." Jack said.

"Jack, I was wondering if you wanted to stay in my apartment for a while. And, I'll be staying with Morris."

Jack looked at her. "Chloe, you don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do." Chloe replied. "Jack, you need a place to stay. Not to mention, I need to start getting used to Morris again. So, are you coming or what?"

Jack stared in the direction of the beach house where Audrey is. He sighed and Chloe stared at him in anticipation. He still didn't say anything.

"Jack, it really isn't up for debate." Chloe said standing up and grabbing Jack's arm to help him stand up. Jack stood hesitantly. He walked towards the car and got into the back seat. Morris greeted him. The ride to Chloe's apartment was spent in silence. In the rearview mirror Chloe could see Jack's head turned slightly back in the direction of the beach house. She knew how important Audrey had been to him. She wished she knew what had happened at the beach house to make Jack seem so depressed.

When they arrived they walked into Chloe's apartment. Chloe grabbed a suitcase and started packing some of her things in it. She didn't pack too much so that she could have an excuse to come back to check on Jack. She didn't exactly trust him by himself.

"Make yourself at home, Jack. We'll be back at around noon to make sure you eat something." Chloe insisted before she and Morris left.

Jack sat down on the bed. He hadn't had a real bed in so long. In China, he slept on the cold concrete floor of his prison cell. He wondered how Audrey felt being in a bed. He wondered whether she also had slept on the hard floor in China. He pushed the thought away. He couldn't stand thinking that Audrey had been put through the same thing as he had in the past two years. He sighed and laid down on the bed. He pulled his shirt off and then his jeans leaving him only in his boxers. He fell asleep almost instantly.

He woke up almost as quickly as he had fallen asleep. The nightmares of China were going to be hard to overcome. Especially the ones with Audrey in them. It was nine in the morning and he had only fallen asleep at 7:30. He was tired, but not tired enough to fall back asleep and hear Audrey's screams. He put his jeans and shirt back on and went into the kitchen. He felt like an intruder. He and Chloe were friends, but they weren't that close. They only seemed to talk at work and when Chloe used to give him information on Kim while he was pretending to be dead.

He was happy to see that Chloe had a coffee maker. He made himself a cup of coffee and sat at the small table in the kitchen. There was an old newspaper on it and Jack read it just to pass the time. When he was done with both the newspaper and his coffee, it was only 10:30. Despite not wanting to see anybody, he desperately couldn't wait for noon to see Chloe and Morris. At least seeing them would pass the time.

Jack looked around Chloe's apartment. He found various newspaper clippings cut out in a little box. He picked them up and read them to see why Chloe had kept them. Some of them were about the things she had helped stopped. The nerve gas, the meltdown of the nuclear power plants and other things like that. He didn't know why she had kept them. The other ones were things involving China. She wrote on the backs "show to Audrey". He realized that Chloe must have been trying to help Audrey get him out of China. The last article was the same one he had read earlier. It had a picture of Audrey and had a short blurb on her death. Jack held back tears like he had tried to do earlier. He was happy that Audrey was alive. But, he was sad because they couldn't be together. Somehow that was worse.

Jack put the box away and sat on the couch. He should be snooping through Chloe's things. At noon, Chloe and Morris knocked on the door. Jack answered it. He wondered why Chloe hadn't just used her key to get in. It was, after all, her apartment.

"How are you settling, Jack?" Morris asked.

"Fine. Thank you." Jack replied, remembering he hadn't said 'thank you' yet.

"Did you get any sleep?" Chloe asked.

"A little." Jack replied.

"Did you eat anything?" Morris asked. He felt like he was being interrogated.

"I had coffee." Jack said.

"We're going out to lunch. Do you want to come?" Morris asked.

"Look, I already feel like I'm intruding. Maybe, I should leave." Jack said.

"Not a chance, Jack." Chloe said, blocking the door. "You have no place to go. You're staying here. And, you're not intruding."

Jack stared at her in disbelief. This was not the Chloe he knew. He looked at Morris who gave him a look telling him not to make Chloe angry.

"Fine, Chloe. I'll come to lunch with you guys." He said.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thank you to AlmeidaFluff and sydneykiss for your reviews. They are always appreciated._

Chapter 2

Morris let Jack borrow some of his clothes to go out to lunch in. Jack was silent throughout the lunch despite Chloe's attempts to get Jack to say something. Chloe was starting to become annoyed. After ordering their food Chloe leaves for the bathroom.

"Is it just me or is she more cranky than usual?" Jack asks Morris.

"She's pregnant. So, yeah, she's more cranky than usual." Morris replies.

"Oh. I didn't know. Congratulations." Jack said. He tried to sound convincing but nothing he said sounded right anymore.

"Thanks." Morris said. "Jack, Chloe told me not to ask. But, what the hell happened with Heller?"

Jack didn't respond. He just thought back to what had happened. The argument between him and Heller, the painful goodbye to Audrey, and the feeling of helplessness. Jack sighed. Morris regretted asking but thought that maybe Jack wanted to talk about it. He was wrong. The silence was broken by Chloe who came back to the table.

"Did you have a nice chat?" Chloe asked, jokingly figuring that Jack didn't say anything.

"Congratulations Chloe." Jack said.

"Thanks, Jack." Chloe replied, happy that Jack finally spoke to her.

"You guys are going to be really good parents." Jack said.

"Thanks." Chloe and Morris said at the same time.

"Just a tip, don't pretend to be dead for a year and a half. They don't seem to like that." Jack said. He was attempting humor but it came out as just another monotone sentence. Chloe and Morris looked at him sadly. That was one thing they hadn't thought about when they thought about why Jack was so upset. They had thought about China, Audrey, Heller, and the government taking him out of China only for their own benefit. They never once remembered Kim. She had been so angry with him before he was kidnapped by the Chinese.

Their food came and Jack ate some of it. He knew that he couldn't eat all of it. Going from eating a couple small portions each week to eating large portions every couple hours would be a big change for him. By the time Morris and Chloe finished eating; Jack's blinks were getting longer and longer.

He was exhausted. He wanted to go back to Chloe's apartment and sleep. But, at the same time he didn't. He didn't want to have another nightmare where Audrey died right before his eyes. They drove back to Chloe's apartment.

"Are you all set, Jack?" Chloe asked before they left. Jack was basically sleeping standing up. He nodded. "Jack, don't fight it. Go to sleep."

"I don't want her to die again." Jack said now lying down on the couch.

"Would you like us to stay here? We can wake you up if it looks like you're having a nightmare." Chloe suggested. Jack didn't answer. Sleep had finally taken over.

"What did he mean when he said that he didn't want her to die again?" Morris asked.

"Audrey. He obviously had a nightmare when he slept before where Audrey dies. He's afraid to have another one." Chloe explained.

"I wish we knew what happened at Heller's." Morris said.

"Me too. But, whatever happened wasn't good. Jack's devastated. I don't know what else we can do for him."

"How about we try talking to Heller? Maybe he'll tell us what happened. Or maybe, Audrey is feeling better and she can tell us. And, if she is better maybe we can convince her to talk to Jack."

"Morris, she's not better. I already checked." Chloe said.

"How did you check?" Morris asked.

"I looked at her medical record. Things are being added about new treatments they're trying or going to try. But, nothing saying that she's responsive."

"Well, then let's try talking to Heller." Morris suggested.

"Tomorrow." Chloe said. "Right now we need to wake Jack up if it looks like he's having a nightmare."

They woke him up about twenty minutes later. He thanked them. He then told them to go home. He didn't want to sleep anymore. They had stopped the nightmare before Audrey died but just seeing her in his nightmare worried him. He figured he'd never sleep soundly again. Chloe gave Jack some money.

"We're going to go home so that you can be alone. If you get bored, you can go shopping for clothes or something." Chloe said. Jack thanked her. Jack tried not to use her money. She was already letting him stay in her apartment. Finally he decided to use it. He went to the mall and bought some clothes. He still had a lot of money left and decided to give that money back to Chloe. He walked towards the apartment and passed by a bar.

He thought for a moment. He muttered, "One drink."

Six beers later, Jack made his way back to Chloe's apartment. He still had some money left which he left on the table for Chloe to take. He decided to take a shower. It was something he hadn't done in a while and wondered how Chloe and Morris had managed to stay in the same room with him. He got in and let the warm water flow over his body. Even after washing he stayed in there just to enjoy the hot water. It felt so good.

He shut the water off quickly. He didn't deserve to feel good. After everything he had put Audrey through, he didn't deserve anything that made him feel good. He stepped out of the shower and put on a pair of the new boxers he had just bought. He climbed into bed and then decided that too was too good for him. He fell asleep on the floor. Even the floor was too good for him. But, he fell asleep on it anyway.

_A/N: Reviews always welcome. Yes there will be Jack and Audrey later. It just was too easy to get them together quickly._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Your reviews make me smile. a lot. So, please review._

Chapter 3

Audrey desperately tried to wake up. Chloe was in the room talking with her father about her condition. Chloe would know where he is or at least know how to find him.

"Hey, Audrey." Chloe said. Audrey tried to respond. She couldn't. Why would this time be different from the other times? Chloe started talking again, this time with guilt in her voice. "I'm really sorry, Audrey. I should have tried harder to stop you from going there."

Was Chloe really blaming herself? This was ridiculous. Jack blamed himself. Her father blamed himself and Jack. And, Chloe blamed herself. Why didn't they understand that it was her own fault?

"How long is she going to be like this?" Chloe asked directing her attention to Heller.

"They're going to stop giving her the sedative in a couple days. She'll be awake but she might still be unresponsive." Heller said.

"Would it be alright if we come back sometime next week?" Chloe asked. Morris had been in the room too. He didn't know what to say. He wasn't really friends with Audrey.

"Of course." Heller said.

Chloe turned her attention back to Audrey. "Bye, Audrey. I hope you feel better soon."

Audrey hoped so, too. She hoped she would be able to talk to her for the next time she visited. She needed Jack. He was the only thing she wanted. She could hear them leave the room. She felt alone. Not that she wasn't used to that feeling.

"Chloe, we didn't even ask Heller what happened with Jack." Morris said when they got into the car.

"That's surprisingly not important. If we ask Heller, he won't let us see Audrey. And, then we'll never know if she actually wants to be with him or not."

"Why wouldn't she want to be with Jack?" Morris asked.

"I don't know maybe because he'll remind her of her horrible time in China." Chloe said. They drove to Chloe's apartment and knocked. Jack didn't answer so Chloe opened the door. Jack was asleep on the floor.

"At least it doesn't look like he's having a nightmare." Morris said. Chloe knelt by Jack and woke him up.

"Jack, why are you sleeping on the floor?" Chloe asked.

"How's Audrey?" He asked ignoring the question.

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.

"When I was trying to fall asleep and you guys thought I was asleep yesterday, you said that you were going to Heller's." Jack said.

"Oh. Audrey's still the same." Chloe said. She looked at Jack who seemed sadder after hearing that news. She tried to give him some better news. "But, her doctor is going to stop giving her a sedative so she'll wake up in a couple days."

Jack just stared at her and then stood up. He put on sweatpants and a t shirt and walked to the table. He grabbed the money that was left over from the previous day.

"Here's your change. I'll find a way to pay you back." Jack said.

"Why can't you just accept our help? You don't have to pay me back." Chloe said.

"Right." Jack said. "Are you going back?"

"Back where?" Morris asked.

"Audrey." Jack said.

"Next week." Chloe said. "Today, though, we have to go back to work."

"Have fun." Jack teased.

"Are you going to be okay by yourself?" She asked.

"I've been by myself for a long time." Jack muttered. "I'll be fine."

Chloe put some more money on the table for him and Morris's car key. Chloe and Morris went to CTU. Bill Buchanan was there and they said hello to him.

"It's good to see you, Chloe and Morris." Bill said. "Do you have any idea how Jack is? I've been worried about him."

"He's staying in my apartment. He's doing well physically. But, not emotionally. We picked him up at Heller's beach house. He's been really quiet, and sad. He just really misses Audrey. He has a hard time sleeping because he has nightmares about her dying. I don't know what to do, Bill. I don't know if it's okay to leave him alone." Chloe said.

"Well, I've been here all night. So, I can go check on him if you want." Bill replied. Chloe told him where her apartment was. Maybe Bill could cheer him up.

Bill left immediately after their conversation. Jack answered the door expecting to see Chloe. Bill was there but Jack knew it was because Chloe had asked Bill to check on him.

"How are you, Jack?" Bill asked.

"I'm fine." Jack replied.

"Yeah, Jack. I believe you." Bill said, sarcastically. He made his way in knowing that Jack wouldn't invite him. Bill sat on the couch and Jack sat next to him.

"How are you, Bill?" Jack asked.

"I'm good. I'm back at CTU now." Bill said. "What do you do with all this free time you've got?"

Bill looked around. The only thing he noticed was a small box with one article take out of it. Bill picked it up and saw the picture of Audrey along with the article on her death.

"The Chinese tortured you enough, Jack. Don't torture yourself." Bill said. He put the article back in the box and pushed it away.

"Why not? I deserve it." Jack said under his breath. Bill still heard it.

"Stop it, Jack. You don't deserve it." Bill said raising his voice slightly. "Jack, why the hell would you think you deserve it?"

"Audrey." Jack said.

"What about her?" Bill said.

"I hurt her." Jack said, "Everything that happened to her was my fault. Go see her, Bill. She's basically dead."

"It wasn't your fault. She's going to recover. She's not dead."

"I wish I were." Jack said.

"Really? Because I can guarantee that Audrey's going to ask for you when she wakes up. The last thing she's going to want to hear is that you're dead. James Heller can only control her life until she's able to say what she wants." Bill said. "And, we both know he's the one that convinced you to stay away."

"Even if she does ask for me, it's not going to change anything. I still can't be with her."

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm cursed. I'm not letting Audrey die."

"You're not cursed, Jack."

"People I love die, sounds like a curse to me."

"Who said you were cursed? Heller?" Bill asked.

"Yeah, but he's right."

"He's angry, Jack. He thought his daughter was dead. He wants to protect her. And, he feels like getting rid of you will solve that problem. Jack, he feels guilty. He could have stopped Audrey from leaving if he had tried harder to get you out of China. He blames you so that he doesn't have to blame himself."

"Bill," Jack said. "Thanks."

"No problem." Bill said, feeling like he might have actually gotten through to him. It wasn't anything Jack didn't know but hearing it from Bill made Jack feel better. "Feeling better?"

"Kind of. At least now I'll spend Chloe's money on things I need rather than booze." Jack said.

"Good." Bill said. Bill went back to work and Jack decided to sleep to pass the time. This time he used the bed.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Seems like people like this story. Thanks to my wonderful reviewers. Reviews are always greatly appreciated._

Chapter 4

Audrey was awake now. Her father sat on the side of her bed holding her hand in his. He talked to her but her sentences were short.

"How do you feel?" He asked like he had every day since she first woke up.

Audrey wanted to say she felt horrible. She wanted to say that Jack was the only thing that would make her feel better. She managed to speak a simple, "Fine." It wasn't much but it was enough to let her father know that she could understand him.

"Do you need anything? Food? Water? Anything?" He asked. He just wanted her to feel better.

"Jack." Audrey said. Heller didn't respond. He figured it was just one of the responses she had been trained to use in China. But this time it wasn't. She really did need Jack.

"I'm sorry for everything that happened to you, sweetheart. I love you so much."

"L… ve… ya… da…ddy." Audrey managed to say quietly. Heller smiled at his daughter. She had tried to say that she loved him too. Heller was confident that she'd feel better soon.

Jack had been feeling better after Bill had talked to him, but his heart still ached for Audrey. Today Jack was feeling really well. Chloe and Morris would be visiting Audrey. He hoped they'd return with good news and was confident that they would.

Heller let in Chloe and Morris who he had been expecting. He told them about the little bits of progress she had made in her speaking. He told them that he was sure she'd be talking completely in a couple days. He led them to Audrey's room and waited outside the door.

"Hey, Audrey." Chloe said, sitting in one of the chairs next to her bed. Morris sat in the one next to it and held Chloe's hand. "Do you know who we are?"

"Chloe?" Audrey replied.

"Yeah, and Morris is here too." Chloe said. Audrey turned her head towards them and smiled slightly.

"How do you feel?" Chloe asked.

"Jack?" Audrey whispered.

"He's okay. He's staying at my apartment." Chloe whispered so that Heller wouldn't hear. "He misses you."

"Jack come here?" Audrey asked matching Chloe's quietness.

"No, not right now. He's not allowed to." Chloe said.

"Need him." Audrey said. Heller walked into the room.

"Everything okay in here?" Heller asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Chloe said.

"Is she talking to you at all?" Heller asked.

"Yeah. We talk." Audrey said.

"Good." Heller said.

"How you Chloe?" Audrey said. Her sentences were almost complete. She was glad Chloe had come.

"I'm good. I'm pregnant." Chloe said.

"Congrats." Audrey said. She smiled at Chloe and Morris to show that she was happy for them despite the simple 'Congrats.'

"Thanks." Chloe said. Audrey's eyes slowly closed. She had used all her energy on their conversation and was now drifting to sleep. Chloe and Morris left and went to see Jack.

"What happened? Was she awake? Did she talk?" Jack asked as soon as he opened the door for them.

"She talked. Her sentences were short and broken up. She'd forget small words like 'I'. But, she asked about you."

"Really? What'd she say?" Jack asked. Chloe paused trying to remember exactly what had been said. Morris took his phone out of his pocket and pushed some buttons.

"I recorded it so that you could hear, Jack." Morris said. He pushed play and Jack heard Heller talking about how she'd been doing. Then he heard Chloe addressing Audrey. Then his heart melted at the first sound of her sweet, soft voice. The melting feeling was quickly replaced as he felt as if he'd been stabbed in the gut. She said his name. It was more of a plea than anything. He wanted to hold her. He listened as Chloe explained that he was okay. The last thing said about him was that she needed him. Bill had been right. Audrey had asked for him. The bad part was that Jack felt bad for leaving her. She needed him. And, he needed her.

"Thanks, Morris." Jack said. Jack walked out the door and Chloe and Morris followed him.

"Where are you going?" Chloe asked.

"To see Audrey." Jack said.

"Jack, Heller still has that restraining order on you." Morris added.

"I don't care. I've got to see her." Jack said. Chloe and Morris drove him to Heller's where they'd talk to Heller while he talks to Audrey. They knocked on the door and Jack pushed past Heller and went to the room where he had left Audrey. She was asleep and looked much strong from when he had last visited.

Jack could hear Chloe and Morris defending him in the other room against Heller. They were stopping him from calling the police and trying to convince him that Audrey needed Jack.

"Hey, baby." Jack said, staring at Audrey. He took her hand in his. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Jack?" Audrey asked.

"Yeah, baby. I'm here. I know I left before but I'm back now. And, I'm not going anywhere this time."

"Jack, I don't want to lose you again." Audrey said. A perfect sentence. She had spoken a perfect sentence to him.

"You're not going to. I promise." Jack insisted.

"Jack, come closer." She demanded. Jack moved the chair closer. Audrey brought her hand up a little and Jack put his face into it like they had always done. This time Audrey pulled her hand away and brought it back hard. She slapped him hard but not as hard as she did after Paul died. Jack put his hand up to his face.

"Don't ever break up with me again. Got it?" Audrey said. Jack smiled happy that she wasn't mad at him.

"Deal." Jack said.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Review like always and i'll be happy._

Chapter 5

"Jack, get out. Now!" Heller said, walking by Chloe and Morris and into Audrey's room.

"Don't leave, Jack." Audrey pleaded.

"I'm not. Your father and I just have to talk. I'll be right back." Jack said.

"That's what you said last time." Audrey said remembering the day he came back from the dead.

"I'll be right outside. I promise. You'll probably be able to hear us." Jack said, resting her hand down on the bed. Jack walked out of the room and Audrey sat in anticipation. She needed him. She couldn't lose him again.

Jack and Heller made their way into the same room they had fought in last time. Chloe and Morris sat in Audrey's room knowing that Jack wanted to do this alone. Jack sat on the couch and made himself comfortable. This made Heller angry. Jack didn't belong here.

"Jack, this isn't up for debate." Heller said.

"I left because I thought she'd be better off without me. But, I never got to hear what she thought. And, based on the way she's been begging me to stay, I'd say she doesn't think the same." Jack said.

"Jack, you left because she'll die with you."

"I'd rather her die with me than with you." Jack said.

"Jack, she's in bad condition. She can't even say a whole sentence. This is your fault." Heller said.

"Funny you should mention that. Ever since I've been here her sentences have been perfect. It's not my fault. She went to China for me. Not because of me. I didn't ask her to. I would never have asked her to."

"It doesn't matter whether or not you'd ask her to. She did it. Because you made yourself the most important thing in her life." Heller yelled.

"And, you want to send the most important thing in her life away. You're a great father." Jack said sarcastically.

"She's my daughter, Jack. It's my decision. I have a restraining order on you. And, I'm calling the police. He reached for the phone.

"Actually, it was your decision. When Audrey was in a catatonic state. She's awake now. She can decide for herself what she wants. And, if she chooses me which she will, I'm going to take her away from you. Because you have a restraining order on me. And, I'm not allowed to be near you."

Heller put the phone down. How could he be so stupid? He had taken a restraining order out on Jack and now it was being used against him. He should have seen this coming. He put the phone down.

"I'll get rid of the restraining order. Please, don't take her from me." Heller said, knowing that this time, Jack wouldn't be convinced to leave.

"Good." Jack said. He stood up and walked to Audrey's room. He sat on her bed slightly turned towards her.

"How'd it go?" Audrey asked.

"Good. I'm staying right here. I promise." He said. He reached out and put his hand on her cheek. He moved his thumb against her soft skin.

"I'm sorry for slapping you." Audrey said.

"It's okay. I deserved it." Jack smiled.

"Yeah, you did." Audrey said. Audrey's eyes started closing. She tried to fight the fatigued feeling coming over her but it eventually won out.

"It's getting late; maybe we should get some food. When was the last time you ate?" Chloe asked, quietly as to not wake up Audrey.

"I don't really remember." Jack said.

"So, too long", Chloe said. Chloe and Morris had to try to convince Jack that it was okay to leave her and that he'd go back tomorrow. Eventually they won and Jack left with them. They ate dinner and noticed a huge change in Jack's attitude. It amazed them how Audrey made Jack feel so much better when she had only seen him for a little while.

Jack's sleep was still haunted with nightmares of Audrey. He hated them. The thought of them torturing her the way they tortured him was sickening. He only slept for a little while before he decided that he never wanted to sleep again. How was it that when he was in China he'd only have dreams of Audrey and him being together? They'd be so happy in the dreams. Some were memories that had actually happened and others were of them living happily before he was taken to China. Now that he was out of China, he could only dream of the horrible things that had happened to her or that could have happened to her. Jack tried to put it out of his mind.

The next morning, Audrey woke up with her dad sitting in the chair next to her bed. God, she hoped it wasn't a dream. She hoped that Jack wasn't a dream that time. It had seemed so real this time.

"Where's Jack?" She asked, hopefully.

"He went home to try and get some sleep." Heller said.

"Dad," Audrey said. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too, sweetheart." He said, happy to finally hear her speaking so perfectly. He knew Jack being there had something to do with it.

"Dad, what was it like thinking I was dead?" Audrey asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, everybody kind of wonders what it'd be like for their loved ones when their dead. So, I was just wondering." Audrey explained.

"It was horrible. Everybody missed you so much. Especially me." He said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to think I was dead."

"It wasn't your fault." He said. "I'm going to go make breakfast. Is there anything in particular you want?"

Audrey just stared at him. It was strange that she could actually pick what she wanted. She couldn't even remember the foods people eat for breakfast.

"Uh, I'll have anything." She said. Nothing could be as bad as the food she had in China. All she knew was that she never wanted to see a grain of rice again.

"Okay." He said, standing up. He was about to leave the room but was stopped by Audrey.

"Dad, when do I get to like walk and stuff?" Audrey asked.

"When you can stay awake for more than an hour at a time." Heller said, jokingly. She wasn't strong enough to walk yet. Audrey smiled and he turned around to leave. He realized that she wasn't smiling at him. Jack was standing in the doorway of the room. Jack took a seat next to Audrey and Heller made breakfast for him, Audrey, and Jack.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Loving everyone's reviews. Feel free to keep reviewing or start reviewing if you haven't already. _:)

Chapter 6

"Did you have a good night sleep?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Audrey said. She was lying. She'd had a nightmare worse than any of the ones before. She dreamt that she had come back from China but Jack died over there. That was why she was happier than ever to see Jack sitting next to her this morning. "Did you?"

"Yeah," Jack lied as well.

"Jack," Audrey said. "I can tell that you're lying."

"Well, I could tell that you were lying. I just didn't say anything." Jack smiled which made Audrey smile. It was the first smile he had seen from her in such a long time. He had thought about that smile everyday in China. Thinking of Audrey was the only way to fight the pain.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Audrey asked. "Of China?"

"Every time I fall asleep. What about you?" He asked.

"Same. It sucks. I mean, we're finally free yet it still feels like they're here." Audrey said. Jack was about to respond when Heller walked in with breakfast. Audrey sat up in bed and Jack moved off the bed and into a chair. Heller sat down in the chair next to Jack. Audrey ate a couple bites of her pancakes and then some of the fruit that her father had given her.

"You don't want to eat too much right now, Audrey." Jack warned before she went back to the pancakes.

"Why?" Audrey asked.

"You haven't eaten a real meal in a long time and you're going to get sick if you eat too much. Your stomach has gotten used to eating only a little bit at a time." Jack said. Audrey ate a couple more pieces of fruit and then decided she was done.

"Tired yet, sweetheart?" Heller asked Audrey.

"No. Why? Are you going to let me get out of bed?" Audrey said hopefully. She was a little tired but she was trying hard to fight it. She didn't want to have another nightmare.

"No. I know you want to get out of bed. Just not yet." Heller said. He picked up the plates of food and took them to the kitchen.

"He's no fun." Audrey said.

"He's right Audrey. When I helped you get out of the hospital room, you were having a hard time. Do you even remember that?" Jack asked.

"Yes. I remember. And, I tried to talk to you but I couldn't so I grabbed your hand because I wanted you to know that I still remembered you." Audrey said. Jack smiled at Audrey.

Heller walked back in the room. "Bill Buchanan and Karen Hayes are here to see you, Audrey."

Audrey nodded and Heller led them to the room. Jack moved to the side of the bed so that they could sit down.

"Hi, Audrey. Hi, Jack." Karen said. Audrey smiled.

"Hi, guys. How are you? It seems like I haven't seen you guys in years." Audrey said.

"We're good. How are you feeling?" Bill asked.

"Good. I'd be better if I was allowed to get up and walk around but I'm good." Audrey said.

"It's good to see you guys together again." Karen said. Jack looked to Bill as if to say thanks. They stayed for a while and talked with Audrey. She enjoyed having company.

"Well, we have to get to work." Bill said. Karen and Bill stood up and walked towards the door saying goodbye. Jack followed them to the front door. He shook Bill's hand.

"Thanks, Bill." Jack said.

"I didn't do anything, Jack." Bill said.

"I never would have come back if it wasn't for you." Jack said.

"Yes, you would have. As long as you and Audrey are both alive, you'll never be able to stay away from her forever." Bill said. Jack knew he was right. He never would have been able to live knowing that Audrey was so close. He eventually would have found his way back to her. He shut the door behind them and went back into Audrey's room. She smiled at him when he walked in.

"Keep me awake." Audrey told Jack.

"How come?" Jack asked.

"I don't want to have another nightmare." Audrey said.

"What if I stay right here? That way if you have one I can wake you up." Jack suggested.

"How about you lay down with me?" Audrey suggested. "Then if I wake up I can just reassure myself that you're still here. And, then you can try and sleep too."

"Okay." Jack said. Audrey rolled onto her side and Jack laid down behind her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and brought himself as close to her as possible. They fell asleep shortly after. Heller came in to check on them and saw them sleeping peacefully together. He hated it but at the same time it melted his heart.

It was nice to see his daughter sleep so soundly for the first time since she came back. He hated how it was only because of Jack, however. She looked so content in his arms and he couldn't help but think of how natural it seemed for them to be in the same bed. He cringed. He didn't like Jack being near his daughter. How had he been so oblivious to their relationship when Jack worked for him?

Jack's eyes were starting to open and Heller hid outside the room. He didn't want Jack to think he'd been watching them. Heller looked into the room and saw Jack wide awake. He picked up a strand of Audrey's hair with the hand that had been around her waist and tangled it around his fingers.

"Where are you going?" Audrey mumbled as Jack moved his hand off her waist.

"Audrey, I told you. I'm not going anywhere ever again." Jack said. Audrey turned to her other side so she was facing Jack.

"Any nightmares?" She asked.

"No. How about you?" He asked. This time he wasn't lying.

"None. I slept perfectly." Audrey said. She, too, was telling the truth. "We should stay together every time we sleep."

"I like that idea." Jack said. "Unfortunately, your father who is eavesdropping would never allow it."

Audrey smiled at him. Heller walked away from the room for once feeling comfortable leaving Audrey in Jack's presence.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Going on vacation so i probably won't be writing again until August 23rd. Sorry, i know it's a long wait. Trust me, I'm going to be having 24 withdrawls while i'm gone. Review until i get back!_

Chapter 7

How was it that just a couple weeks ago he didn't want Audrey and Jack in the same country never mind the same room? Heller thought hard for the answer to this question while sitting outside looking out at the beach. Jack had been coming over every day to spend time with Audrey. Heller was both angry and relieved. Angry because he knew Jack would hurt her and he already had. Relieved because whenever he talked to Audrey they'd run out of things to say. Somehow that was never a problem when Jack was with her.

Heller had stopped eavesdropping ever since Jack called him out a couple days ago. He went in every once in a while to offer them food or drinks, but mostly just to make sure Audrey was okay around Jack. Heller's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the back door opening.

"Is everything okay?" Heller asked immediately. Jack looked at him and shook his head no. Did Heller really not trust him that much? Every time Jack came out of Audrey's room he'd ask that same question. As if Jack wouldn't tell him Audrey was dying or something.

"Everything's fine. I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving and Audrey's still awake." Jack said. He always told Heller when he was leaving so that Heller could keep her company if she wanted him to.

"Thanks." Heller said, standing up to walk inside the house.

"Sir, she's getting really impatient. Maybe, we should let her get out of bed or something."

"I didn't ask for your opinion." Heller said.

"Well, maybe you should ask for Audrey's every once in a while. She asked me to talk to you about it. She's feeling stronger. She wants to get up."

"It's too soon, Jack." Heller said. He walked by Jack and went into his house.

"You know she's just going to start trying to stand up without us, right? And, then she falls. And, then it takes her even longer to recover." Jack said.

"Goodbye, Jack. It was good talking to you." Heller said sarcastically, opening the front door so Jack would leave. Jack left not wanting to start a fight.

Heller went to his daughter's room. Audrey was sitting up. She looked healthier and healthier every single day.

"Hi, sweetheart." Heller said.

"Hi, daddy." Audrey said.

"Jack talked to me about you wanting to get out of bed." Heller said.

"I know I could hear some of it." Audrey said.

"Do you really feel like you're up to it?" He said.

"Yeah, I've been feeling really good lately." Audrey said.

"Do you want to try now?" Heller asked, giving in. "Just standing not walking."

"Yeah sure." Audrey said, excitedly. Then her eyes looked down. "Never mind. Can we try tomorrow when Jack's here?"

Heller nodded while cursing Jack for having so much influence on her. He sat and talked with Audrey longer than they ever had since China. They talked about Audrey's childhood. They talked about the times they'd come here for vacation and go to the beach. They talked about Audrey's mother. Audrey asked about her brother, Richard. Heller wasn't sure how he was. They'd been having a better relationship until Audrey died. After that, Richard had become angry with him for not stopping or helping Audrey.

"Well, do you ever call him or anything? I mean I'm not dead now. Maybe you guys can still fix things." Audrey suggested. "Not to mention I'd like to see him."

"I doubt Richard and I will ever get along. But, if you want to see him, I'll call him." Heller said.

"Thanks. Now why can't you accept Jack like that?" Audrey asked.

"Jack's not your brother." He said leaving before Audrey could make a reply that leaves him looking like an idiot. Audrey smiled just before he turned around and Heller caught a glimpse of it. The only time he had seen Audrey smile was when she was around Jack. Now she was finally smiling around him and him alone. Granted the comment was about Jack. But it didn't really matter.

Jack got back to the apartment to find Chloe packing up more of her things. She had basically taken everything out of the apartment.

"Chloe, do you need some help?" He asked as he saw her reaching for something on the top shelf of her closet.

"Can you just get that shirt that's up there for me?" Chloe asked. Jack reached up with no problem. "Thanks. Morris is still working so I thought I'd stop by here before I went home. How was Audrey, today?"

Jack smiled at her name. "She's doing really well. She wants to start getting out of bed but Heller doesn't want her to."

"Well, that's good. That she wants to get out of bed, I mean. Shows that she's coming back."

Chloe left with her things and Jack tried to get some sleep. He and Audrey tried to sleep at night so that they could both stay awake during the day when they were together. But, without each other they couldn't sleep without the nightmares.

The next Audrey told Jack about her father agreeing to let her get out of bed. Jack stood on one side of her and Heller stood on the other. Jack's arm was held firmly against her waist. Heller stood by just in case. Audrey stood up and could feel her legs shaking beneath her. Jack held on tightly to her as to not let her fall. Audrey balanced her weight on her legs. Eventually the shaking minimized and Audrey was standing. Jack arm had released its grip slightly and Jack moved his hand to the small of her back.

Audrey sat back down on the bed. "Next time, we'll walk."


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: I'm so happy to be back! Niagara Falls was beautiful! thanks for all the reviews while i was gone._

Chapter 8

Audrey walked more and more the next couple days with Jack and Heller by her side. She felt strong again. Today she had even walked to the kitchen to have lunch. She sat next to Jack and across from her father. She was smiling slightly by her accomplishments which didn't go unnoticed by Jack. Jack always noticed her smiles no matter how small. He never wanted to go a day without seeing her smile again. In China, he had missed everything about Audrey. Her smile, her eyes, he could go on and on.

They ate lunch in silence. Audrey hated how tense it felt when Jack and her father were in the same room. She couldn't believe that only three years ago Jack and her father had worked side by side. Heller had always liked Jack. Even after he found out about their relationship he and Jack worked well together. It wasn't until Jack came back from the dead that Audrey could see a change. He had disregarded everything Jack said about how to confront Logan. Later he apologized. She thought things would be fine after that. But, now there was total silence.

Audrey ate half of her lunch before the silence became too aggravating. She stood up and Jack and Heller looked at her. Jack stood up too to help her. Audrey grabbed her plate and put it in the sink and Jack followed behind her just in case. She walked out of the kitchen and into her bedroom. Jack helped her into bed.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"What happened?" Audrey asked. Jack looked at her confused. "Between you and my father. It's always silent when you two are in the same room."

"Nothing happened, why?" Jack asked.

"It seems like you guys really hate each other." Audrey said.

"Well, that's because he's your father. He's supposed to hate your boyfriend." Jack said.

"Well I don't want him to." Audrey said. Jack stayed for a couple more hours. When he left, Audrey decided to take a shower. She felt like it had been forever. It had been forever at least since she had a hot shower.

She felt refreshed after taking a long shower and putting on clean clothes. For the first time in a long time she felt human again. She went to the living room where her father was reading the newspaper.

"You look nice." He said not wanting to make her upset by protesting that she shouldn't walk by herself quite yet.

"Thanks." She said.

"Richard is going to come over tomorrow after Jack leaves." Heller said.

"Really? You talked to him? Or was that the extent of the conversation?" Audrey asked.

"Audrey, I already told you that Richard is never going to forgive me for letting this happen to you."

"I wish everyone would stop blaming each other." Audrey muttered.

"What?" Heller asked, not hearing what she had said.

"I wish that everyone would stop blaming each other. And, themselves for that matter."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Richard blames you. You blame Jack. Jack blames himself. Chloe kind of blames herself."

"What make you think I blame Jack?" Heller asked hoping that Jack had told Audrey about their argument.

"It's obvious. I can tell that you blame him every time you look at him. It wasn't his fault."

Heller nodded. He wasn't going to argue with her. Mostly because she was right and partially because he hated fighting with her especially when he knew he'd lose.

The next day Audrey insisted on going down to the beach. Jack and Heller walked by her side the entire way even though she didn't need their help. Jack was impressed by how quickly she had recovered. The only remnants of China were the scars and the nightmares. She didn't talk about the nightmares anymore but Jack knew they were still there.

When they got to the beach Audrey went to the edge of the water and let the water hit her feet. She dug her toes in the sand and closed her eyes remembering how much she loved the beach. Jack stood next to her and took her hand. He usually didn't touch her around Heller but he couldn't help it. Audrey had never looked more beautiful to him. Her eyes matched the ocean and her hair blew gently in the wind.

Heller watched as Jack took her hand and stared at her. Heller hated how normal it looked. Eventually Audrey's head rested softly on Jack's shoulder.

Audrey used her toes to write in the sand, 'I Love You.' Jack kissed the top of her head and whispered that he loved her too. Even after the next wave came to wash it away they could still see it.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Another Chapter! Review please._

Chapter 9

They walked back to the house once the sun began to go down. Audrey refused to let go of Jack's hand not that she needed his help walking back. His hands were warm and soft yet somehow rough and sent chills up her spine. It was exactly how she remembered it. She could't help but notice how uncomfortable her father looked. They got inside and Audrey insisted on being in the living room instead of in her bedroom for when her brother came. Jack squeezed Audrey's hand and said goodbye.

Heller could't help but notice that Audrey was still smiling even after Jack had been gone for five minutes. "I'm hoping you're smiling because Richard is coming soon."

"Yeah, of course." Audrey said, sarcastically. She smiled at her father. The doorbell rang and Heller answered it. Richard walked in and Audrey got up from the couch to hug him. They hadn't been close since Audrey was a teenager yet she missed him a lot.

"Looks like you're doing well." Richard said. He had matured a lot over the past couple years. They caught up and, despite Heller thinking Richard would forever be angry with him, Richard included him in their conversation. Eventually, Richard left.

"I knew he wouldn't hate you." Audrey said.

"He was just putting on a happy face for you." Heller said. "So it doesn't really count."

"He's not. Trust me. I see that face everyday between you and Jack. And, Richard wasn't doing that." Audrey said.

"Jack and I don't try to get along in front of you, Audrey. We are pretty open about hating each other." Heller said, kind of jokingly but kind of not. Audrey didn't laugh or even smile. She just sighed. She wanted them to get along. She knew they never would but she still could wish. Audrey went to bed. Her nightmares seemed to be getting worse even though she was getting better. She woke up with tears streaming down her face. She wiped them away and more fell. There was no way she was getting back to sleep now. Not unless Jack was with her. Audrey got out of bed and walked out of her room. She walked into the living room quietly as to not wake her father. She took some money out of a drawer that she knew her father always used.

She went outside to the street and walked to a more lively section of the city. She hailed a taxi and told him Chloe's apartment address remembering that Jack was staying there. She had been there a couple times during their search for Jack. The ride was short and Audrey paid the driver. She got out and knocked on the door hoping that Jack wasn't asleep or that she didn't wake him up.

He opened the door and smiled. Then his smile weakened. "What are you doing here? You came here all by yourself. The city can be really dangerous at night. What were you thinking?"

Audrey threw her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. She was so happy that he was alive.

"Sorry," he said, feeling bad for making her cry. "I shouldn't have gotten mad, I just- I get really worried about you."

Audrey wasn't even listening. "Jack, can I stay here tonight? I can't sleep."

"Of course. But, does your dad know you're here?" Jack asked, knowing her father never would have let her come here-period- never mind alone.

"No, I knew he wouldn't let me. But, I can't sleep. I needed to know you were okay."

Jack brought Audrey inside and closed and locked the door behind them. He brought Audrey in close to him. She was still crying. The nightmare had obviously upset her more than usual. He pulled her head away and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. No more tears fell this time. Jack led her to the bed. "Come on, we should get some sleep."

Audrey laid down on the bed next to Jack. Jack refused to let himself fall asleep until he was sure that Audrey was. Eventually, they fell asleep.

The next morning, they slept in later than usual. Jack woke up panicked knowing that Heller would be frantically searching for Audrey. He got out of bed and went for the phone.

"Hello?" Heller asked, hopefully as if he had already been searching for her.

"Sir, it's Jack. Audrey is here." Jack said.

"What the hell is she doing there?" He asked.

"She woke up from a nightmare last night and grabbed a taxi and found her way here." Jack said.

"Jack, I want my daughter back here, now!" Heller said hanging up the phone before Jack could protest. Jack hung up and turned around. Audrey was standing behind him.

"Who was that?" Audrey asked.

"Your father. He's been looking for you." Jack said throwing on a shirt and a pair of jeans.

"I told you I didn't tell him I was leaving." Audrey said admiring Jack's body as he got dressed.

"I know I forgot to call him." Jack said. "So don't be surprised if he doesn't let me stay over today. Audrey grabbed a piece of scrap paper lying around and a pen and wrote: Dad, I'm going to Jack's tonight. So don't freak out when I'm not here.

"If only you could have done that last night." Jack said.

"Well, maybe I just forgot to leave this note for him last night. Then he couldn't possibly blame you."

"You're so smart."

"I know." Audrey said walking closer to him. He gathered her into his arms.

"We should get going. Your father is going to be-" Jack's words were stopped short by Audrey whose lips were now on his kissing him gently. He pulled away leaving Audrey wanting more. She hadn't felt that good in what seemed like forever.

"We should go." He said, grabbing his wallet and putting it into his pocket. He grabbed her by the hand and led her out the door.

"Sorry." She said, feeling rejected. She had been waiting so long to kiss him again. And, now it seemed like he didn't even want her. She was now on the verge of tears.

"It's okay." Jack said as a taxi came to the front of the building for them. Audrey got in and refused to let her tears fall. Audrey stared out the window biting her bottom lip. "You okay?" Jack asked.

She couldn't help herself. The tears started falling and Audrey just turned her head more towards the window hoping that Jack wouldn't notice. But, of course, Jack noticed and moved to the center seat to be closer to her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Jack said putting his hand up to her face to tilt her head towards him.

"You didn't kiss me back." Audrey said with more tears streaming down her face.

"Oh. Audrey, you surprised me. I just- I need you to know that we can take our time. We have so much time together now and I don't want to rush it. I don't want something bad to happen to you and then be responsible for it again."

"Jack, nothing bad is going to happen. I promise. And, it wouldn't be your fault. Just like what happened to me wasn't your fault. I need you to understand that. And, I don't want to take it slow. We've already lost so much time together. Let's not lose more because you feel guilty about what happened in China. Please."


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: School causes me great despair. Less writing fics more writing essays and doing homework(which hopefully like the last two years i only did in study halls) Reviews inspire me to write everyday after school!_

Chapter 10

The taxi dropped them off at Heller's house. Heller immediately started his rampage on how careless it was for her to go out so late and how Jack should have immediately called him. Jack and Audrey just waited for him to stop. Eventually he did.

"Done now?" Audrey asked just like she used to as a kid.

Heller took a breath. "Yes,"

"Good." Audrey said.

"You're not even going to defend yourself?" Heller asked having anticipated an argument.

"Nope." Audrey said not wanting to sit through more of his lectures. She stood up and walked into her bedroom where she got changed.

She came back out to find her father and Jack sitting silently. At least it was better than fighting.

"Jack, come with me to the beach." Audrey said. Jack obediently stood up and followed her. They walked down to the beach and Heller went to the back porch where he could see them at a distance. They were holding hands for the entire walk. When they finally got down to the beach they sat in the sand with their feet out so the water would hit them after every wave. Jack's hand was now playing with Audrey's hair. Audrey shifted even closer to him. Audrey stared out at the water and Jack's eyes seemed to be glued to Audrey. After sitting comfortably like that for a while, Jack's hand moved from her hair to her cheek. Audrey turned to look at him. Then they kissed. Heller could't help but be angry. He knew that sooner or later Jack would take her away from him. Heller thought for a minute. That's not what he should be angry about. He was supposed to be angry because Jack wasn't good for Audrey. That's why he had told him to leave in the first place. But, deep down he was starting to realize that Jack wasn't bad for Audrey. In fact, he and Audrey were perfect together. Jack and Audrey walked back to the house. They spent the rest of the day together.

"Don't go." Audrey pleaded to Jack when she was ready to go to sleep. She sat on her knees on her bed with her arms around Jack's neck never planning to let go.

"Sorry," Jack said knowing it would never be okay with Heller.

"Please." Audrey begged.

"If you can convince your father to let me stay, I will." Jack said.

"Well, that's a lost cause." Audrey sighed. Jack kissed her gently.

"This time, if you wake up in the middle of the night, call me. I will come over here. Do not leave the house." Jack warned.

"So, you can come over in the middle of the night but you can't just stay over?" Audrey asked.

"Goodnight." Jack said kissing Audrey on the forehead before leaving. She could be so persuasive when she wanted to be. But, he didn't want to keep getting on Heller's bad side.

Later that night, Audrey called Jack. "I can't sleep."

"I'll be right over." Jack said. Audrey waited for him by the door. When he came Audrey opened the door quietly so she wouldn't wake up her father.

"You okay?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Audrey whispered. "Everything's better once you're here."

Jack smiled and kissed her. Audrey felt safe in his arms. They went into Audrey's room and laid down together.

"What was your nightmare?" Jack asked.

Audrey smiled. "I didn't have a nightmare."

"What? You said you could't sleep." Jack said.

"Yeah, I couldn't. I kept thinking of you." Audrey admitted. Jack kissed her passionately. The kiss grew deeper and deeper until Jack was on top of Audrey. They pulled away for air. As Audrey went in for another kiss, her hands reached for the bottom of his T-shirt. She pulled it up over his head revealing the scars from China. Audrey seemed to barely notice, or care, about the ugly scars that covered his chest and back.

"What about your father?" Jack asked. Audrey sighed.

"Why'd you remind me?" Audrey asked.

"So, that we wouldn't get in trouble." Jack said.

"Jack, we're not teenagers." Audrey said.

"Yeah, but he'd still yell at us." Jack said.

"Then I'll move out." Audrey kind of joked.

"And, move into a mansion with all the cash you have." Jack teased.

"Well, a box on the side of the street might work. Might even get more privacy."

Jack smiled. He missed her sense of humor. They decided to go back to sleep. Jack joined Audrey in bed. This time they both fell asleep within minutes. In the morning, Heller found them sleeping in each other's arms. They looked so content and comfortable that Heller wasn't even angry about Jack coming in the middle of the night.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Sorry, it's been taking me forever to pop out chapters. Reviews are so incredibly appreciated. :)_

Chapter 11

Audrey woke up first and looked at Jack lying next to her. She reached her hand to his face gently and touched the stubble on his chin. Jack stirred but didn't wake up. Audrey looked at the clock that read 10:00 and didn't want to spend her entire day in bed. She kissed Jack on the cheek this time trying to wake him up. He eventually did, but he yawned and turned away from her to try to get more sleep.

"No, wake up." Audrey insisted. Jack just pulled the covers over his head. "Please."

Jack groaned. "Fine."

Audrey smiled and hopped out of bed. She went to Jack's side of the bed to help him up. He took her hand and allowed her to lead him to the kitchen. They ate breakfast together and Heller watched the news but listened as Jack and Audrey talked and laughed with each other. After eating Jack and Audrey sat in the living room and watched the news with Heller.

"What do you want to do today?" Heller asked.

"Go for a walk." Audrey said looking out the window at what a beautiful day it was.

"On the beach?" Heller asked.

"No, like around the city." Audrey said.

"It's too dangerous out there." Heller said.

"No, it's not." Audrey tried to argue. "Please, I really hate being locked up here all day."

"You're not locked up. You're just staying close to home." Heller said.

"No, I know the difference. Staying close to home is what I did when Jack died where I only went to work and then I'd go home and do nothing but that for months. Being locked up is when you're stuck in a cell. This just happens to be a more luxurious cell than most."

"Audrey, I think your father's right." Jack intervened.

"What? How can you say that? How am I supposed to get back to normal if the only things I'm allowed to do are eat, sleep, and go fifty feet to a beach?"

"Audrey, you could see something outside that reminds you of China and have a breakdown or something. I don't know how it works, but I don't want to find out." Jack said.

"Sooner or later I'm going to have to get out of here." Audrey said.

"Not now." Heller finished. Later that day, after Jack left, Heller went into Audrey's room. She was reading the newspaper to try to feel more involved with what was going on in the world.

"Audie, I just got a phone call from DOD asking me for help on something. I'm going to go there tomorrow morning and I'll be back on Sunday. I called Jack and he's going to stay at the house with you all week." Heller said, cringing at the last part. He could't believe he had actually asked Jack to stay with his daughter alone for a whole week. He was going insane.

"Okay." Audrey said trying to hide her excitement about Jack staying with her for a whole week. She would be able to sleep carefree for seven whole days. "Did they say what they needed help on?"

"Nope. I guess I'll find out when I get there." Heller said.

The next morning Heller left for D.C. He left his cell phone number and his house in D.C's number on the kitchen table in case of an emergency. Audrey smiled at Jack once he was gone. Jack smiled back at her and kissed her.

"Finally, we're alone." Jack said, holding Audrey in his arms.

"I know." Audrey said going in for another kiss. Jack stroked her hair with one hand and cupped her cheek with the other. Audrey pushed him to the couch that was inches away.

"We can use the bed if you want." Jack said between breaths.

"Too far away." Audrey explained simply. She pushed him on his back onto the couch.

"Really, I will never be able to look at this couch again if we do this here." Jack said. Audrey got up and Jack kissed her some more. They kissed as they walked to Audrey's room, but they ended up stopping against the wall half way there. Jack lifted her and Audrey wrapped her legs around his waist so he could carry her to the room. He laid her on the bed remembering when he had done the same thing the night before she had told him she loved him. They made love again and again taking up most of their day. Around dinner time, they finally stopped.

"We should probably eat." Jack said.

"Probably." Audrey said, knowing that she never wanted to leave their bed.

"Do you want to go out to eat?" Jack asked.

"Wait, like out of the house?" Audrey asked. Jack nodded. "I thought it was too 'dangerous'"

"I changed my mind." Jack said. They got out of bed and got dressed for dinner. They went out to a small cafe a couple miles from the house. Audrey could't have possibly been happier. While they waited for their food, Audrey leaned over and kissed Jack on the cheek.

"Thank you." Audrey said.

"Well, you have to eat. And, I'm a really bad cook." Jack said.

Audrey smiled. "I meant thanks for everything. For falling in love with me mostly. And, for being so loving and caring all the time. For always protecting me. For changing my entire life. For being with me despite the fact that you and my father hate each other."

"Like I really had a choice." Jack said in a teasing manner.

"What do you mean?" Audrey asked.

"I could't help but fall in love with you. You're beautiful and amazing in every way."

"I'm nothing special."

"Really? Then why were all the guys at DOD jealous of me when we started dating?"

"Because- well, I'm sure they weren't."

"Trust me. They were. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I will never do anything to jeopardize that." Jack said, moving in for one last kiss before the meal came.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: thanks to all of you who are still reading. I try to spend thirty minutes working on fan fiction each day now that i'm back at school. So, once every couple days there will be a new update on at least one of my stories. Enjoy! Reviews appreciated!_

Chapter 12

Heller came home on Sunday to find Jack losing miserably to Audrey at blackjack. They were sitting facing each other on the couch while eating their lunches. Heller looked at his daughter and realized that this was the first time he saw her as strong instead of fragile since she had returned from China. She had improved so much over the past couple months. She had been in a coma for a long time and now the only evidence of China was through the scars on her body.

"I'm home." Heller said.

"Hi, dad." Audrey exclaimed.

"How was your weekend?" Heller asked.

"Good. How was DOD? What did they need you for?" Audrey asked.

"Just a few small things. Nothing major." He said.

"That's good." Audrey said.

"Yeah. So tell me more about your weekend."

Jack and Audrey told him that they played card games and watched movies and went to the beach. He would not approve of Jack taking Audrey out of the house. He seemed to accept their account of what happened over the weekend.

After lunch, the three of them went down to the beach. Audrey was starting to get tan from all the days she'd spent on the beach. She sat in between her father and Jack and leaned into Jack. He put his arm around her. Heller kept his attention on the water as Jack and Audrey focused on each other. Audrey put her head on Jack's shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling safe and indescribably happy. After a while, Heller went inside to get away from the heat leaving Audrey and Jack together on the beach.

"Jack," Audrey said opening her yes to look into his. "I'm really happy."

"Me too, baby." Jack said.

"I don't think I've ever been more happy than right now." Audrey told him.

Jack seemed to be thinking. "I don't think I can pick one moment in our time together as the happiest. Because every time I'm with you I feel as if I couldn't get any happier."

Audrey brought her lips to Jack's, pulling him in for a kiss. She thought back to all the times she had felt exactly the same way with him before and realized he was right. There were too many to choose from.

A couple days later, Heller and Jack took Audrey out of the house. They visited Chloe and Morris. Chloe was getting bigger because of the baby and Morris had been working on a nursery for the baby. The baby was going to be a boy and Chloe and Morris couldn't wait. Then, they went out for dinner. Jack and Audrey sat across from each other and held hands under the table. They seemed to Heller to be in their own world where everyone else was just passing by. They constantly smiled at each other and asked him to repeat himself whenever he said anything. He felt like he was getting pushed out of his daughter's life, yet seeing the two of them so in love made it seem better. After dinner, Jack went to his apartment and Audrey and Heller went home.

"Dad," Audrey said. He looked at her. She was stopped in the hall right before her room. "Do you still hate Jack?"

"No. Not as much as I used to anyway." He admitted.

"Good." Audrey said.

"Why do you ask?" He asked.

"I don't know. You seem more relaxed now when he's around. You even let us spend a weekend together alone which you never would have done before." Audrey said.

"I know he cares about you too much to let anything happen to you. And, I'm more relaxed because you're doing so much better after everything that's happened to you." Heller explained.

"Yeah." Audrey turned around to walk into her room but turned back. "When I first got out of China, I thought this recovery would be too hard. Or, more like it would be pointless. But, as soon as Jack came back I knew it'd be easier."

Audrey went to bed, but woke up hours later screaming and crying. She closed her eyes hoping the images from her dream would disappear. She immediately reached for the phone, but decided to put it down. She wanted to try and get through the rest of the night without help from Jack. She forced herself to think of all the good times she'd had with Jack and tried to push away the images of China. Every time she was close to falling back asleep, she'd picture herself back in her cell in China. Dark, cold, and alone. Giving up, she reached for the phone and called Jack. He answered after a couple rings.

"Jack, I can't sleep." Audrey said.

"For real this time?" Jack asked.

"Yeah." Audrey said.

"I'll be there soon." Jack yawned. When Jack showed up Audrey let him in and they went to Audrey's room.

"You wanna talk about it?" Jack asked realizing that out of all the nightmares she's had he didn't know any of the details of any of them.

"No, I just want to sleep." Audrey said closing her eyes and resting her head on Jack's chest. They fell asleep quickly and in the morning Jack asked Audrey to tell him about her nightmare again.

"I told you. I don't need to talk about it." Audrey said.

"It could make them go away." Jack suggested.

"You make them go away." Audrey told him.

"Well, maybe I'll stop coming." Jack said.

Audrey smiled. "You know you can't say no to me."

"Sure I can." Jack said.

Audrey laughes to herself. "Let's go eat."

"Okay." Jack said. He proved her right. He knew he couldn't say no to her. "Only because I want to. Not because you told me to."

"Sure, whatever you say." Audrey teased.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: So i realized that my random anger towards everybody this week may have had something to do with the fact i haven't written in a while. So, good thing for my readers i suppose. Reviews always appreciated!_

Chapter 13

"Please, Jack!" Audrey begged.

"No." Jack said.

"Are you afraid you'll cry?" Audrey teased.

"No. You do realize that there are billions of movies in the world. Yet, you picked the girliest, most romantic movie you could find." Jack said. He loved making her beg him to watch it. Eventually, in the end he'd give in. "Seriously. Why do you like those kinds of movies? They're unrealistic."

"Yeah, that's the point. It's two people falling in love in a perfect world. How is that not good?"

"That's not the way love goes." Jack informed her.

"Well, it should." Audrey said.

"No, because then it's just boring. I mean look at us. We've been through so much together that we need each other. In these movies nothing ever happens that makes the two people have to work at it. So, they break up."

"They do not. At the end, they get married and live happily ever after." Audrey said.

"I meant if it were real life, they'd break up." Jack said.

Audrey tried to think of an argument, but knew he was right. "Can we please watch it?"

Jack sighed. "Fine."

Audrey smiled and kissed him on the cheek to thank him. "I love you."

"Yet, you're making me watch this movie." Jack said.

"You agreed." Audrey said.

"Only because I love you." Jack said. Audrey watched the movie and Jack just stared at her the entire time. When the movie finished, Audrey turned to Jack.

"Wasn't it good, Jack?" Audrey asked.

"Fantastic." Jack said sarcastically, leaning in to kiss Audrey.

"Let's go for a walk." Audrey said taking Jack's hand and leading him to the door.

"Where are you going?" Heller asked as he walked into the living room.

"Just for a walk." Audrey said. Just a month ago Heller would have argued until Audrey just gave up and went to her room. Now, he let her go out but only if she was with Jack or himself.

"Be careful." He said, the same way he said it every time she left the house. Audrey rolled her eyes and continued out the door, pulling Jack along with her. They walked down the streets hand in hand.

"So, you haven't called lately about having any nightmares." Jack said.

"No, I guess I haven't." Audrey sighed, knowing full well she would have called him every night if she wasn't too afraid of him leaving his apartment.

"Why do you say it like that?" Jack said, sensing that something was wrong. Audrey stared at her feet. "You're still having them?"

"Aren't you?" Audrey asked, partially hoping he'd say yes so she didn't feel so alone.

"No. They stopped a while ago, baby." Jack said.

"Oh." Audrey said.

"Why didn't you call me? I would've come."

"I know. I just- I don't want you to think I can't handle it. Because I can. I'm fine." Audrey said.

"I know you can." Jack said.

"Good." Audrey said.

"So, if you have one tonight, you'd better call me." Jack said.

"But, then I wake you up." Audrey protested.

"I don't care." Jack said.

"Why am I still having them?" Audrey asked.

"I wish I knew."

"Me too." They continued walking until they got back to the house.

"What if you went to therapy or something?" Jack asked.

"I'll stick with the nightmares, thanks." Audrey said.

"I'm serious, Audrey." Jack said.

"Me too." Audrey replied.

"It couldn't hurt." Jack said.

"It might not help either." Audrey said.

"But, it might." Jack said.

"I'm not doing it." Audrey said.

"Okay." Jack said. That night, Jack stayed up late with Audrey until she finally fell asleep. He walked out of her room and stopped in the living room where Heller was sitting.

"Leaving now, Jack?" Heller asked.

"Yeah." Jack said, knowing Audrey would hate him for this.

"Is something wrong?" Heller asked.

"Audrey's still having nightmares." Jack said.

"Really? She told me they stopped." Heller said, questioningly.

"Today, she said they're still coming every night." Jack said.

"Is there anything we can do?" Heller asked.

"What if she went to therapy? I think that might help." Jack suggested.

"Good idea." Heller said. "Have you talked to her about it?"

"Yeah. She's not exactly thrilled by the idea." Jack admitted.

"Well, we don't have to tell her she's going until we get there I suppose." Heller said.

"I think that'd be best."


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Yay! i finished this chapter before the weekend so you don't have to wait for monday! Enjoy. Reviews would be great._

Chapter 14

Jack stroked Audrey's hair lightly, but enough to wake her. Audrey's eyes fluttered open, but she quickly shut them again and turned her head into the pillow.

"It's time to get up." Jack said.

"Already?" Audrey asked.

"What do you mean 'already'?" Jack asked. "It's almost eleven."

"But, it's so warm under the blankets." Audrey said.

"I know. But, do you really want to waste your day in bed when you could be with me?" Jack asked.

"Well, why can't I do both?" Audrey asked. Jack kissed Audrey and then stood up from the bed.

"Come on. Breakfast is almost ready, beautiful." Jack said. Audrey forced herself out of bed and to the kitchen. Heller was putting their breakfast on the table just as Audrey walked in. Audrey sat down and started eating.

"How'd you sleep last night?" Heller asked.

"Fine." Audrey said. Jack looked at her knowing that she was lying. Audrey gazed away from him. "So, what do you guys want to do today?"

"We can visit Chloe and Morris for a while, if you want to." Jack suggested feeling guilty.

"Sounds good." Audrey said. They finished eating and Audrey got ready to visit Chloe. When she finished, she and Jack left. After a couple minutes Jack pulled over.

"Where are we?" Audrey asked.

"It's a surprise." Jack said.

"Okay." Audrey said. She followed him into a small building. "What is this place?"

Simultaneously, a doctor was walking over to them. Jack introduced him.

"Audrey, this is Dr. Mills." Jack said. The doctor stuck out his hand and Audrey reluctantly shook it.

"It's nice to meet you Ms. Raines." Dr. Mills said. "Let's go to my office."

Dr. Mills led them to a quiet room. Jack sat next to Audrey on a couch.

"What are we doing here?" Audrey asked.

"He's a psychologist. He's going to help you stop your nightmares." Jack explained.

"No, he's not." Audrey said. "Jack, I'm fine. I can deal with them."

"I'm sorry, baby. I'll pick you up in an hour." Jack said. He could tell that Audrey was angry.

"Don't bother. I probably won't talk to you." Audrey said, partially joking.

"Just give it a chance. Please." Jack said. He walked back out the way they'd come leaving Audrey with Dr. Mills.

Dr. Mills started, "I know you don't want to do this now. But, it will help. I promise."

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with." Audrey said. Audrey talked about her different nightmares for the entire hour. There were so many, that she didn't even get to tell the doctor about some of the worst ones. At the end of the hour, Jack came back to pick up Audrey.

"So, was it as bad as you were expecting?" Jack asked, starting the car.

"No, I just kept talking so he couldn't give his opinion." Audrey said.

"Are you still mad?" Jack asked.

"I know you only did it because you love me and hate that I have to deal with them. But, I'm not going again." Audrey said.

"Why? You said it was fine." Jack said.

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about China or my nightmares about China. I just want to forget." Audrey said.

"And, this will help you forget." Jack said. "Please, just go to one more. And, if you still don't want to, I won't ever make you go again."

"Fine." Audrey said, getting out of the car and walking into the house.

The next therapy session, Dr. Mills asked Audrey to tell about her worst nightmare. Audrey told him about one where she had to watch as the Chinese tortured and then killed Jack. Dr. Mills listened intently.

"How'd you feel after this nightmare?" Dr. Mills asked. Audrey stared at him in confusion feeling as if the answer was obvious.

"Scared." Audrey said. "That's kind of the point of a nightmare."

"Well, I thought since Jack died in the dream you might have felt more sad than scared."

"No." Audrey understood his reasoning now, but didn't know how to explain hers. "I was scared."

"What was so scary about it? Did you think they were going to kill you next?" Dr. Mills asked.

"No." Audrey thought for a minute. "I'm always scared when Jack's not around."

"Even now?" Dr. Mills asked.

Audrey now realized that she was scared even right then. She had been biting her nails and checking the mirror across from her to see if anyone was behind her. She never noticed how paranoid she'd been. The hour ended after that and Jack came in seconds later.

"So, are you going to keep going?" Jack asked hopefully.

"Yeah." Audrey said.

"Don't sound too thrilled about it." Jack teased.

"Jack," Audrey said. Jack looked at her questioningly. "Please, dont ever leave me again."

"I've already told you that I wouldn't leave you again." Jack said. "Why?"

"Because, I love you. And, apparently being away from you scares me and I didn't even realize it and now that I have, it's made me more afraid to be away from you."

"I'm not going anywhere. And, you're safe. Even without me, you're safe." Jack insisted.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: here's the next chapter. Reviews always welcomed.

Chapter 15

After a couple months of therapy, Audrey's nightmares were ultimately gone. She had told the doctor all about her memories of China and her nightmares. However, Audrey could still feel herself being anxious when Jack wasn't around. This wasn't a huge problem because Jack had been spending even more time than usual with Audrey. Audrey knew how well she was doing and decided to take another step forward.

"A job?" Heller asked, confused.

"Yeah, I think it'd be good if I started to work again," Audrey said.

"I guess it depends on what kind of job," Heller said.

"I'll look into it," Audrey said. She had already started looking, but wasn't sure what to look for. She knew her father and Jack would never let her go back to government work, but she didn't know what else she could do. Jack came over after their short discussion ended.

"Hey, what's going on?" Jack asked.

"Come on. You're going to help me look for a job," Audrey said. Jack followed Audrey.

"When did you decide to get back to work?" Jack asked.

"About a week ago," Audrey answered.

"What kind of job are you looking for?"

"No idea," Audrey said.

"Nothing with the government though, right?" Jack questioned.

"Like you'd even let me," Audrey said.

"So, you've considered it?"

"I don't know what else I could do. So, yes, I've considered it. But, I'm not stupid. I wouldn't do it."

"Good," Jack said in relief. Jack helped her come up with a list of jobs she could apply for.

A couple weeks later, Audrey was hired as a ninth grade English teacher. On her first day, Jack drove her to the school. Audrey was excited and couldn't wait to meet her class. When the morning bell rang, kids poured into the classroom. There were about twenty kids in her class. Audrey introduced herself. In class, she started to learn kids' names and tried to get to know them. By the end of the week, Audrey remembered all of the kids' names and the kids seemed to like her. She gave a moderate amount of work and made the classes interesting for them.

"So, what are you teaching them about?" Jack asked on Friday night over dinner.

"We're reading _Lord of the Flies,_" Audrey told him.

"Have you read it before?" Jack asked.

"Yes, of course. Have you?" Audrey asked.

"No, probably not," Jack said, "What's it about?"

"It's about boys who get stranded on an island and go insane," Audrey said, "What have you been doing lately?"

"Not much. Just waiting for you to get home from work," Jack said.

"Well, that must be fun," Audrey teased.

"It's worth it once you actually get home," Jack said.

"Well, maybe, you could try and find your own job," Audrey suggested.

"Like what?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. What are you good at?"

"Shooting people," Jack joked.

"Besides that," Audrey said rolling her eyes. Jack thought for a moment before shrugging. During their search they didn't find much. However, at work on Monday, Audrey heard some teachers talking about how the school still hadn't hired a teacher for their self-defense course. Audrey told Jack about it and he applied. Eventually he got the job.

On Jack's first day, Jack and Audrey went to the school together. Jack's first day went by slow. He taught them some basics to start but he was ultimately looking forward to teaching them. Jack definitely thought it was better than just waiting for Audrey to come home all day. And, he got to see her at lunch.

Audrey was happy to hear that Jack liked his new job as much as she liked hers. After work, they talked for a while just about how amazing their life was going.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: 2 weeks without internet sorry for the delay. Here's another chapter. Hope you like it. Let me know_ :)

Chapter 16

It was calm morning the next day when Jack and Audrey went to work. They went their separate ways once at work and went to their classrooms. It was a day no different from any other from what they could tell. Little did they know that in a van outside the school ten men waited with guns in their hands.

"Dylan will get buzzed in first, go to the main office and get the rest of us in," said the man in the driver's seat who was clearly the leader.

"Why can't we all just go in?" asked one of the other men.

"Because they'll never open the door for all of us," the leader explained patiently. He turned to Dylan, "Take a pistol with you. When they ask why you're here, just say you're picking up your kid for a doctor's appointment."

"What if they ask for a name?" Dylan asked.

"Make one up," the leader said.

"Is it time yet?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah, go ahead," the leader said. Dylan got out of the car and put the gun inside his jacket. He walked up to the door and pushed the button on a small speaker near the door.

"What's your name?" asked the lady over the speaker.

Dylan thought for a moment, "Mike Smith, I'm here to take my kid to a doctor's appointment." He hoped that there was a kid with the last name Smith in the school. It was a common name. He heard a faint buzz and opened the door. He walked into the office where an older woman was sitting across the desk.

"I'll call your son down," the woman said.

"Put your hands up," Dylan said taking the gun out of his pocket. The woman stood speechless. "Walk over here, slowly."

She stood up from her chair with her hands in the air. As she stood up she made sure to hit the emergency report button under her desk with her knee. She walked towards him and he went behind her desk. All of a sudden he heard an alarm and an announcement over the school's intercom.

"We have a code red. Stay in a classroom until further notice. This is not a drill," said the intercom. It repeated itself and Dylan ignored it and found the buzzer to let his friends who were waiting at the door in. They came into the office and the leader found the button to turn off the alarm.

When Audrey heard the alarm she immediately locked her classroom door, made sure every student was in the room, and hid the students in a corner like she had been taught to do in her first week. Her thoughts were of Jack. She worried that he'd try and stop whoever the intruder was or try to find out what was going on. She looked at the student who she could tell were scared. Some of them were trying to convince themselves it was a drill even when they knew it certainly wasn't.

Jack's students were doing the same thing. Jack sat quietly knowing how much Audrey would hate him if he tried to stop whatever was going on.

Back in the office, the leader had shot the woman behind the desk for setting the alarm. The gunshot was so loud that the people in the school knew for sure it wasn't a drill. The men walked out of the office and split up. Each one made his way to a different area of the school.


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy and Review!_

Chapter 17

In a matter of minutes the men gathered all the classes together and brought them to the gymnasium. The men met at the front of the room with some still facing the people in the gym. Everybody sat silently in fear. Audrey and Jack's classes sat next to each other with Jack and Audrey directly next to each other. Jack reached down and grabbed Audrey's hand to tell her that everything was going to be okay. They turned their attention to the men as they talked to each other.

"Any fatalities?" the leader asked.

"No, everyone cooperated." Dylan said. The rest of the men nodded in agreement.

"You took their phones?" the leader asked.

"Yes," Dylan answered. The rest of the men nodded again.

"Good," the leader said. He turned his attention to the crowd, "Everyone will sit here silently. As soon as we get what we want, we'll leave. Cooperate and you'll make it out of here alive."

Everyone thought about what it is they could want from the school. They wondered how long it would take. Audrey took her hand out from under Jack's and started making letters on the back of his hand that read: _Is there anything we can do? _Jack wrote back: _There are too many of them._ Jack had already played out different scenarios in his head of how they might be able to stop them, but none of his ideas worked. A phone rang a minute later and the leader answered it. He spoke in a different language that neither Jack nor Audrey could understand.

The leader looked up after hanging up. He started walking around the room with his phone in his hand as if he were looking at a picture. He stopped when he got to Jack and Audrey.

"Stand up," the leader commanded, holding a gun to them. Jack and Audrey reluctantly stood. He stood behind them and led them to where three men sat with a laptop. They were looking at the schematics for a building that seemed familiar to Jack and Audrey.

"What do you want?" asked Jack.

"You're going to plan an invasion on the Pentagon. We need to be able to get in unnoticed before any alarms go off. And, then we need an escape plan. You two used to work there so I'm sure you guys can figure it out," said the leader. He turned around and left Jack and Audrey. The three men followed behind leaving them with the laptop.

"Jack, what are we going to do?" asked Audrey.

"We could just give them a bad plan," suggested Jack.

"But, what if they can tell and they kill one of the kids?" asked Audrey.

"They'd already be on their way to the Pentagon by then, don't you think?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. It seems risky," Audrey said.

"Yeah, but so does giving them a plan to invade the Pentagon," Jack said. Audrey agreed and they got to work on their fake plan.


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: Yes i realize my chapter r getting shorter and shorter. Sorry about that. Enjoy!_

Chapter 18

When Jack and Audrey finished writing up the plan, they looked over it to make sure the men would inevitably get caught. They read everything carefully making sure that everything was in order. They nodded at each other in agreement and called Dylan and the leader to have a look. The leader took the plan and started reading it asking questions right away to make sure the plan was flawless. Jack and Audrey had a good answer for every question.

"Good. You two can sit back with the others," the leader said. He rallied his men at the front of the room and spoke softly so none of the hostages could hear. "Three of you will go to the pentagon and follow these instructions exactly as they're written. Keep in touch and tell me if anything goes wrong with the plan."

The men nodded and Dylan and two other men escaped through a back doorway that was guarded by a man dressed as an officer. They gave the man a reassured nod and walked to the car parked a couple blocks away.

Jack and Audrey saw the three men leave with the plan and realized the others were staying until they were sure it worked. Jack looked around and saw that there were still too many men to try and fight back. All they could do was hope for a miracle.


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: Woah finally a long chapter! I'm so proud of myself! Enjoy and Review!_

Chapter 19

"What are we supposed to do now?" Audrey asked quietly.

"I don't know," Jack said, obviously deep in thought.

"What if we tell the guy that we found a problem with our first plan and that we need to change it? And, then come up with a different plan that uses more people" Audrey suggested.

"Do you think he'd believe that?" Jack asked.

"I don't think he's very smart. Do you have any better ideas?"

"No" Jack said, remembering when he used to always have an idea of what to do. They got up slowly and walked towards the leader who was telling his men not to shoot. He looked at them curiously and asked them what they were doing.

"There's a problem with the plan," Jack said.

"What kind of problem?" the leader asked. Jack then proceeded to tell him about one of the many problems in their plan. The leader listened carefully and grabbed his cell phone immediately. He called the three men he had sent and told them to wait. He gave Jack and Audrey the laptop and had them fix the problem. Jack and Audrey started from scratch and made sure to include as many people as they could in the plan. They worked quickly, but the leader was impatient.

"I thought you were just tweaking it! What's taking so long?" the leader asked.

"When one thing gets changed, it makes other things need to be changed too," Audrey explained.

"Well, hurry up!" he insisted. Jack and Audrey finished a little while later and explained their plan to him. This new plan would make it so only seven men were left watching over the students and faculty. The leader studied the plan and tried to find people who were unnecessary to the plan. However, Jack and Audrey made sure that every man had a job. The leader sighed and told them to sit back down. He picked up his cell phone and called the three men who were now waiting patiently in their car a couple miles away from the Pentagon.

"I'm sending more men to help. They have a new plan. Don't mess it up," the leader said. He hung up, after ordering them to take separate flights to D.C. He walked over to where Jack and Audrey were sitting.

"My men will be getting on planes to D.C. soon. After that, everything that goes wrong costs one kid their life. So, if you have anything you want to fix, tell me now," he said. Jack and Audrey shook their heads. The leader walked away and went back to the front of the room.

"Now what?" Audrey asked.

"I'll need to take them out," Jack said.

"Yeah, and how do you plan to do that without getting yourself killed?" Audrey asked.

"If I can take out just one of the men with the guns then I'll be able to take out the rest of them," Jack said.

"And, how are you planning to get to one of them?" Audrey asked.

"I have an idea," Jack said. He walked up to the front of the room slowly so the men knew not to shoot.

"If you tell me now that there is something wrong with the plan, I will not be very happy," the leader said.

"I was going to tell you that we've been here for hours and a lot of people here need to use the bathroom," Jack said.

"They aren't leaving," the leader said.

"There's a bathroom right at the end of this hall. You could have one of your men bring groups to it," Jack suggested.

The leader thought for a moment before agreeing to Jack's proposal. He started in the front of the room selecting ten girls to go first. When they came back ten boys would go until everyone was offered the chance. When it got to the middle of the room, Jack was allowed to go. The group walked silently to the bathroom followed by a guard with a gun. Jack waited until they were in the bathroom so that nobody from the gym would hear the commotion. Jack took the guard down easily. He was not very strong and Jack made sure that the gun didn't go off. After knocking the guard unconscious, Jack grabbed the gun and the extra ammo from the guard. The kids were shocked at how easily their teacher had taken out the guard.

"Stay here. We'll be out of here soon," Jack told them. He made his way out the bathroom door and started walking towards the gym. He could see through the doorway the three guards standing at the front of the room along with the leader. He knew there were two more at the back of the room. Jack took position and quickly fired off three shots killing the guards at the front of the room. Knowing the leader didn't have a gun, Jack quickly turned and fired at the two guards in the back. He hit them both square in the chest, which should have killed them almost instantly. But, now the men were shooting at him. He should have figured they were wearing bulletproof vests and shot them in the head like he did the first three. The guards were now moving closer to him and Jack quickly reloaded. However, he didn't reload quickly enough. A bullet went straight through his shoulder, but he somehow managed to fight the pain that he hadn't felt in a long time and shoot down the two guards. He walked in to now find the leader holding a knife to Audrey's throat. Jack couldn't help but remember when he had saved Secretary Heller and Audrey years before that. Audrey had a knife then to save herself, this time she had nothing.

"Put down the gun," the leader demanded. Jack put it down slowly. Just as he did, the leader threw the knife at Jack. It came so fast Jack didn't have time to react. It hit him in his other shoulder. The leader ran out of the building through the same door the others had left from. The guard outside the door followed him.

Audrey ran up to Jack who was now losing a lot more blood. One of the other faculty members called an ambulance and luckily there was one outside waiting with the police who were terribly confused as to what happened and where the men could have escaped. Audrey held Jack's hand and cried hysterically as Jack rode to the hospital, passed out from loss of blood.


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: Not much to say except enjoy!_

Chapter 20

The ambulance rushed to the hospital as quickly as possible. The paramedics were applying pressure to the wounds and giving Jack oxygen. Audrey couldn't stop herself from shaking or crying. Jack had lost a lot of blood. They were now putting a tourniquet on his right arm, the one with the bullet wound.

When the ambulance got to the hospital they immediately took him for surgery. Audrey was brought to a waiting room where a nurse tried to calm her down. When she finally stopped crying she remembered that she still had to tell about the attack on the Pentagon. She went to the phone and called Chloe at CTU. She told her what had happened and Chloe said she'd take care of it and then be at the hospital. Audrey hung up the phone and then called her father.

"Hello," Heller said, answering the phone.

"Hi, dad," Audrey said.

"Thank God you're okay. You are okay, right?" Heller asked.

"I'm fine, but-" Audrey started.

"Where are you? The cops at the school said you weren't there," Heller said.

"Dad, I'm at the hospital," Audrey said, tears now rolling down her cheeks again.

"I thought you said you were okay," Heller said.

"Jack was shot and got cut with a knife," Audrey said, "He lost a lot of blood."

"Sweetheart, I'll be there in ten minutes," Heller said. Audrey waited as patiently as she could. After what seemed like an eternity, Heller showed up. He wrapped his arms around Audrey and told her everything was going to be okay.

"How long does it take? When are they going to be done?" Audrey asked.

"I don't know, sweetheart," Heller said.

"How is he?" asked Chloe sitting down next to Audrey a minute later.

"I don't know. They haven't said anything, yet," Audrey said.

"I'm sure he'll be okay. Jack's tough," Chloe said.

"I know. But, he's not invincible," Audrey said.

"He'll be okay," Heller reassured her. Audrey just nodded silently and waited as patiently as she could. Eventually, the doctor came towards them and Audrey stood up worriedly.

"How is he?" Audrey asked.

"He's doing fine," the doctor told her, "He just got out of surgery. The bullet was removed and the surgeon repaired some damaged bone. That's going to take anywhere from three to six months to recover. He's going to be in a sling for probably three months. On his left side, the one with the stab wound was stitched up."

"Can I see him?" Audrey asked.

"Of course," the doctor said. He led Audrey, Chloe, and Heller down the hall to a room and opened the door for them, "If you need anything, just ask for me. My name is Andrew Collins."

"Thank you," Heller said to him, since Audrey was already right next to Jack who was smiling back at her as if nothing was wrong. Doctor Collins left the room.

"How are you feeling, Jack?" asked Heller.

"I'm fine," Jack said out of habit.

"How do you really feel?" Audrey asked, knowing Jack would always consider himself to be fine.

"I'm just a little tired, that's all," Jack insisted.

"Should we let you sleep?" asked Chloe.

"No," Jack said, gripping Audrey's hand tighter. Everyone's head turned around as a nurse walked into the room. She dropped off a plate and made sure Jack wasn't in any pain and left the room.

"So, when are you due, Chloe?" Jack asked.

"I still have a couple more months," Chloe said.

"How's Morris?" Jack asked.

"He's good. He's excited that he's going to be a dad," Chloe said. After talking for a while, Chloe went home and shortly after, Heller left.

"I was worried about you," Audrey said.

"Somehow I guessed that," Jack said, "Did they stop the attack?"

"Yeah, well, they caught the guys who were going to attack but they couldn't find the leader," Audrey said.

"And, was anyone at the school hurt?" Jack asked.

"You," Audrey said, "Now, eat your Jello. You haven't had anything to eat in a while."

"I've gone longer," Jack said.

"That doesn't mean you have to," Audrey said.

"Fine," Jack agreed. He picked up the spoon with his left hand and tried to eat it but gave up after trying a couple times. Audrey picked up the spoon after Jack failed and helped him finish the Jello.


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N: Enjoy and Review!_

Chapter 21

"How long until I can leave?" Jack asked Dr. Collins.

"Give it another couple days," Dr. Collins said. Jack had been asking for days now to leave. "Do you not like it here?"

"No, it's great," Jack said sarcastically.

"Where's Audrey today?" Dr. Collins asked trying to change the subject.

"Working," Jack said, "She should be here soon though."

"How long have you two been together?"

"It's hard to explain," Jack said.

"How come?"

"Because we've spent more time wishing we were together than actually being together," Jack replied. Dr. Collins finished his daily check up on Jack and left the room. A while later, Audrey came in.

"Hey, how was your day?" Audrey asked.

"Boring. Tell me about yours," Jack said.

"Well, the kids were really on edge today. They asked how you were. But, I've never seen that many kids be so quiet before," Audrey said.

"They'll be back to normal soon. Once the shock wears off," Jack said.

"Yeah, I hope so. Anyway, my dad said you can stay with us for while until you completely recover," Audrey said.

"I have to get out of the hospital first," Jack groaned.

"Dr. Collins said it would only be a couple more days," Audrey said, "If you want I can take those days off of work so you're not so bored."

"No, working is good for you. You seem more relaxed and happy," Jack said.

"I am. I like having something different to do each day," Audrey said. That night, Audrey slept at the hospital with Jack. In the morning, she kissed him goodbye and went to get ready for work. Jack hated the daytime. There was nothing to do. Dr. Collins and the nurses would try to keep him company, but they had other patients to attend to throughout the day. The next few days were spent exactly the same way. He'd be bored during the day and then Audrey would come after school got out.

Finally after three long days, Jack was released from the hospital. He still had his sling on his right arm but his left arm from the knife barely hurt anymore. Audrey took the day off to take him back to the beach house. First, Audrey had to help dress Jack because he couldn't use his right arm. After she was done she kissed him passionately, happy that he was okay. When they got to the house Heller was there.

"How's your arm, Jack?" Heller asked.

"It's fine," Jack said. He could still feel the pain in his right should if he tried to move too much in his sling.

"You should probably be laying down or at least sitting down," Audrey said, not wanting him to over work himself.

"I've been sitting down for over a week. That is the last thing I want to do right now," Jack said.

"Okay, then let's go down to the beach," Audrey suggested. Jack nodded. Audrey grabbed his hand and they walked down to the beach together. When they got to the water, Jack closed his eyes happy to feel the sun beating down on him. Jack started to take off his shoes and Audrey did the same. The stood just at the edge of the water letting the waves crash on their feet. Jack's good arm wrapped around Audrey's waist and pulled her closer to him. Audrey wrapped her arms around Jack and buried her face into his chest never wanting to let go.


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: okay, so this is it. Last chapter. I would have kept going but i have to stop sooner or later. So here ya go._

Epilogue

Months later, Jack was feeling fully recovered. He went back to work at the school. He and Audrey saved up their money and bought their own place to stay. Jack gave Chloe's apartment back, which she sold shortly after that. She and Morris had their son, Prescott. They made Jack and Audrey his godparents. Heller visited with Audrey as often as he can. Eventually, Jack and Audrey got married. It was a quiet, peaceful wedding with only a few guests. For Jack and Audrey it was perfect. As for the leader, he was caught at the Pentagon trying to catch up with his followers who had already been arrested.

Jack and Audrey planned on spending the rest of their lives together as happily as they could. They never again would heartbroken nor helpless.

_A/N (cont.): So please give your final reviews/criticisms! Thanks for reading!_


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